Russian Influence In North Caucaia

The continuous struggle of powerful Russian interests attempting to impose control on the restive North Caucasia region, define the Russian-Chechen relationship and associated policies. Since the beginning of the 10th century, Russian influence has been resisted by the indigenous Chechen people. The persistent militancy in Chechen opposition leaves little room for doubt in the general wishes for independence and autonomy. Despite this, Russian governments ranging from the Tsarist rulers of the past, to the nominally democratic government of today resolutely call for Chechnya to be Russian territory. Consistency in the policy of Russian hegemony from these varying governmental structures shows the importance and reasoning in pouring vast amounts …show more content…
The early Russian peoples, known as Varangians or “Rus”, first made contact with the Caucasus region in their invasion of Persia in the 10th century. Unlike other peoples like the Ossetians and Kumyks of the Western Caucasus, Chechens never accepted the Varangians attempts to pacify the region. This can largely be attributed to the fact that Chechen society based itself not on a feudal and hierarchical system, but instead around a patriarchal clan structure. Without the ability to make alliances with a noble class in the Chechen region, the “free peasants” were much less receptive to the idea of foreign …show more content…
The religion took on a pagan–Islamic syncretism, watering down many Islamic institutions to fit existing religious beliefs. However, this changed in 1784 under the Naqshbandi Sufi purification efforts of Sheikh Mansur. Combining the ideas of implementing sharia law with the declaration of a gazavat, or holy war, Mansur routed out impious Chechen Sufi beliefs. Additionally, he directly connected Islamic revivalism with defiance towards the Russian Empire. After Russia’s discovery of Sheikh Mansur’s religious and nationalist sentiments, in 1785, military units were sent into Chechnya to raze the home base of Mansur’s organization. Although triumphant in destroying the town, the Russian forces were massacred on the mountainous banks of the Sunzha River while marching back to the Russian fort of Vladikavkaz. The death toll constituted the worst military defeat during Catherine II’s reign. Russian troops captured Mansur in 1791 after a series of Chechen defeats on the North Caucasus plains. This set a precedent for future conflicts with Chechen insurrectionists unable to extend military supremacy in the mountains onto the